Empire Falls by Richard Russo, ISBN 0375726403

In Richard Russos lengthy fifth novel--this one set in a small Maine town--the Empire Grill provides the focus for the towns inhabitants, who include Miles Roby, who manages the place; Francine Whiting, the wealthy woman who owns it; Jimmy the cop; and Miless large, eccentric, and often comic extended family. Many plots intertwine as the townsfolk are revealed in all their odd vulnerability, and Miles surveys them all from behind the counter of the grill. A New York Times Notable Book for 2001.